Rain poured down in sheets across the West. Kagome sat, legs tucked under her, on the veranda that ran along the entirety of the family wing outer walls and watched as the garden drowned under the onslaught. It was summer and the scent of hyacinths and magnolias was muted but still there under the water threatening to wash everything away.
It was a sight that usually brought Kagome great pleasure, watching the rain as it washed everything clean and left the world with fresh scents and rainbows, and often broke an unbearable humidity.
Today was not the usual.
There was chill across the nape of her neck that had nothing to do with the rain falling in streams around them. It was the kind of chill that often made her seek the comfort of Sesshoumaru or Fuiasu.
She tried to tell herself it was nothing, but an ancient instinct she'd never been able to identify, or even fully understand, itched across her ribs and would not be ignored.
And so she sat on the veranda and stared out over the family gardens and watched the rain, and tried to make sense of the nerves tugging at every instinct she was still learning to control.
For a time, she was mostly content to sit there and ponder and try to make sense of what she was feeling. Most of the morning passed in that fashion, that quiet pressure building up and setting her on edge so that when a maid entered her quarters and startled her, purity rose along the tips of her fingers, an instinctive reaction to protect herself.
Chu stayed where she was by the main door, hands pressed to her knees and head bowed low, deferential, even as her own primitive instincts screamed at her to escape the deadly power. "Izayoi-sama wishes to join you, Kagome-sama."
Kagome nodded, but turned back to the gardens and the rain. There were parts starting to flood, finally muting the scent of the flowers. When Izayoi sank down next to her, she didn't hesitate to lean against the other girl and sighed. "I think I might be getting sick," she murmured, and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure how to explain her uneasy feelings without scaring the other girl.
Izayoi frowned, her news momentarily forgotten, and pressed the back of her hand against Kagome's forehead. "You're not too warm. Did you stay up reading all night again?"
This startled a laugh out of her. "Do you even have to ask?" she demanded, and shrugged. "Atsuki recommended another scroll to me, so of course I had to read it all in one go."
The Princess was almost certain Atsuki was notthe one choosing Kagome's reading materials, but it seemed like such an unimportant detail when the thought made her happy. "One day, you're going to be so tired from reading all night that you fall asleep in your rice. I might even let you. The thought of you with rice on your face is quite amusing."
Kagome snorted, but sat up. "I'll never be as pretty as you anyway," she said lightly, and arched her back in a huge stretch, yawning. "Anyway, did you need something? It's not like you to skip lessons—if you keep this up, you'll get almost as bad of a reputation as I have."
It was Izayoi's turn to blush. She was always amazed Kagome did not realize the level of her own beauty but no matter how often they argued about it, Izayoi always ended up wasting her breath. So today she chose not to engage today and instead focused on why she had come in the first place. "Fuiasu-sama has not yet returned to the Citadel. Neither has Sesshoumaru-sama." She waited for the surprise or worry, and when it was not forthcoming, turned her attention to the gardens and rain. "You already knew?"
"Not for sure," Kagome admitted, and stood. Walking to the edge of the veranda, she set a hand on the smooth red and gold paint of a thin pillar. "I'm still learning how to use my powers to differentiate between yōki signatures, but the air is more heavy today and it has been for a few days. It feels….lighter to me, when Sesshoumaru and Fuiasu are here. Now it feels heavy, like I can't take a deep breath."
Izayoi was unused to seeing such a quiet, solemn side of Kagome. Often the other girl was loud and excitable and full of laughter, jumping into things feet first while she was the quiet, calm one who tended to think before acting. Determined to put things back to normal, Izayoi stood too and stood next to Kagome. "I'm sure they'll be back soon and in the meantime, we have the Citadel to ourselves. I can't think of a certain promise that needs breaking…"
She shoved Kagome off the veranda and out into the rain and puddles.
Kagome yelped and stumbled, falling face first into a muddy puddle. Stunned, she glanced over her shoulder at the girl who stood there safe under the overhand, her arms crossed smugly across her chest. And she grinned. "Oh you are so on!" she barked, and lunged.
Laughing, Izayoi danced out of the way and out into the rain herself. Kicking out of her geta, she kept just out of reach of her friend. "You're so slow today, Kagome. Maybe you aresick?"
Grinning, Kagome lost her own geta and snorted. "Look at you, skipping lessons, breaking promises, casting insults—and you say you're not a trouble-maker."
"Well, sometimes we all need a sick day, nee?" Izayoi teased, and lifting up the skirts of her kimono, jumped heavy into a large puddle so it splash like a wave over Kagome.
And so it began, the water war in the gardens as the girls chased each other and tackles and tickles and danced out of the way, splashing each other until they were both soaked through and covered in mud.
And if there was a palpable silence settling over the Citadel, neither girl noticed.
o.O.o
Word Count - 1014